A thriller featuring Evan Michael Tanner, who loves lost causes and beautiful women, and who heads for Czechoslovakia to engineer the kidnap of a dying man, but first he has to tangle with an amorous blonde and act convincingly as the featured speaker at a neo-Nazi rally. From the author of THE THIEF WHO COULDN'T SLEEP.
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More About the Author
Lawrence Block (b. 1938) is the recipient of a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and an internationally renowned bestselling author. His prolific career spans over one hundred books, including four bestselling series as well as dozens of short stories, articles, and books on writing. He has won four Edgar and Shamus Awards, two Falcon Awards from the Maltese Falcon Society of Japan, the Nero and Philip Marlowe Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of the United Kingdom. In France, he has been awarded the title Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice received the Societe 813 trophy.
Born in Buffalo, New York, Block attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Leaving school before graduation, he moved to New York City, a locale that features prominently in most of his works. His earliest published writing appeared in the 1950s, frequently under pseudonyms, and many of these novels are now considered classics of the pulp fiction genre. During his early writing years, Block also worked in the mailroom of a publishing house and reviewed the submission slush pile for a literary agency. He has cited the latter experience as a valuable lesson for a beginning writer.
Block's first short story, "You Can't Lose," was published in 1957 in Manhunt, the first of dozens of short stories and articles that he would publish over the years in publications including American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and the New York Times. His short fiction has been featured and reprinted in over eleven collections including Enough Rope (2002), which is comprised of eighty-four of his short stories.
In 1966, Block introduced the insomniac protagonist Evan Tanner in the novel The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep. Block's diverse heroes also include the urbane and witty bookseller--and thief-on-the-side--Bernie Rhodenbarr; the gritty recovering alcoholic and private investigator Matthew Scudder; and Chip Harrison, the comical assistant to a private investigator with a Nero Wolfe fixation who appears in No Score, Chip Harrison Scores Again, Make Out with Murder, and The Topless Tulip Caper. Block has also written several short stories and novels featuring Keller, a professional hit man. Block's work is praised for his richly imagined and varied characters and frequent use of humor.
A father of three daughters, Block lives in New York City with his second wife, Lynne. When he isn't touring or attending mystery conventions, he and Lynne are frequent travelers, as members of the Travelers' Century Club for nearly a decade now, and have visited about 150 countries.
Born in Buffalo, New York, Block attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Leaving school before graduation, he moved to New York City, a locale that features prominently in most of his works. His earliest published writing appeared in the 1950s, frequently under pseudonyms, and many of these novels are now considered classics of the pulp fiction genre. During his early writing years, Block also worked in the mailroom of a publishing house and reviewed the submission slush pile for a literary agency. He has cited the latter experience as a valuable lesson for a beginning writer.
Block's first short story, "You Can't Lose," was published in 1957 in Manhunt, the first of dozens of short stories and articles that he would publish over the years in publications including American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and the New York Times. His short fiction has been featured and reprinted in over eleven collections including Enough Rope (2002), which is comprised of eighty-four of his short stories.
In 1966, Block introduced the insomniac protagonist Evan Tanner in the novel The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep. Block's diverse heroes also include the urbane and witty bookseller--and thief-on-the-side--Bernie Rhodenbarr; the gritty recovering alcoholic and private investigator Matthew Scudder; and Chip Harrison, the comical assistant to a private investigator with a Nero Wolfe fixation who appears in No Score, Chip Harrison Scores Again, Make Out with Murder, and The Topless Tulip Caper. Block has also written several short stories and novels featuring Keller, a professional hit man. Block's work is praised for his richly imagined and varied characters and frequent use of humor.
A father of three daughters, Block lives in New York City with his second wife, Lynne. When he isn't touring or attending mystery conventions, he and Lynne are frequent travelers, as members of the Travelers' Century Club for nearly a decade now, and have visited about 150 countries.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
decent fun read,
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This review is from: Cancelled Czech (Paperback)
Reading this book was an enjoyable endeavor. It is not nearly close to Blocks better works and the only reason I would recommend this title is if you have become so engrossed with his Matthew Scudder novels and need something to ween you from the series after finishing them all. What you have here is a 1960's james bondish farce. Robert Ludlum wrote some similar works in the 1970's, his 'Road to Gondolfo' for instance. The film version of 'Casino Royal,' or 'Our Man Flynt,' would be other comparisons. This book is better than all that I mentioned above, but it still lacks the edge of the better Scudder work.Granted, this book was published almost forty years ago according to the copyright date, so it must be one of Blocks first books, and that is almost the only reason to be kind with it. I am not saying much about the plot here, it is your typical prisoner breakout spy thriller with a ironic humorous tilt. Very unplausible and in many ways terrible outside of the fun banter lacking in Block's later work. Even surpasses the Burglar series humor wise, but lacks the Agatha Christie plots. Dont read this if you have yet read much of his other work. He has about thirty better books.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Almost cancel this czech,
By
This review is from: Cancelled Czech (Paperback)
Do not get me wrong I love Lawrence Block. I have read all the Matt Scudder books and they are great! I recommend them to everyone. This second outing of Evan Tanner is a little to easy for our hero. After reading "The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep," I was looking forward to this book. It was good, but not as enjoyable as the first one. The story was so-so. Most of the characters were forgettable, except for Greta. I know this was written over thirty years ago and Mr. Block has become a brilliant writer since then, I just thought it was not as good as the Evan Tanner debut.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tanner returns in quest to kidnap a Nazi,
This review is from: Canceled Czech (Paperback)
Evan Tanner is assigned to slip in Czechoslovakia o kidnap an old Nazi, in Lawrence Block's "The Cancelled Czech." The book is a reprint of one, which was first published some 20 years earlier. I suspect the series was reprinted recently because of the popularity of "Tanner on Ice," published last year. (Tanner himself returns after all this time.) In "Cancelled Czech," we find Tanner plotting how to get across Europe, enter Czechoslovakia, kidnap Kotacek, turn west, and trek across the continent again to get to Lisbon to complete his assignment. The action takes place during the cold war, which makes the book more interesting. Block also plays the role of historian as he relates to his readers to history of that time, period and hotspots of the world. Although it is not absolutely necessary to read the Evan Tanner Mysteries in sequence reference is made here to the first book, "The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep." Read them both. Enjoy, enjoy!
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